


To Have and To Hold

by shions_heart



Category: Free!
Genre: Crazy Hijinks, Established Relationship, Fluff, Future Fic, Humor, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-17
Updated: 2015-06-17
Packaged: 2018-04-04 19:35:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4150212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shions_heart/pseuds/shions_heart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set four years after the end of Free! – Eternal Summer, Makoto is ready to propose to Haruka. However, in an attempt to include the others, he puts Nagisa and Rei in charge of the ring. </p><p>He immediately regrets this decision.</p>
            </blockquote>





	To Have and To Hold

**Author's Note:**

> I missed writing for the Free! nerds, so here's a wacky misadventure for ya'll! I had a lot of fun writing this, so I hope ya'll have fun reading it! Hopefully it's as funny and sweet to you as it was to me. XD
> 
> Enjoy!

On his way home from the grocery store, Makoto whistled happily. He carried bags of mackerel and ingredients for green curry, having planned the night to perfection. Haru wasn’t due home until seven, by which time Makoto intended on having the apartment clean and decorated and food on the table. He’d entrusted Rei and Nagisa with the decorations, knowing they’d both enjoy helping out. Rin and Gou were supposed to come by as well, though only for the party afterwards to celebrate.

There was no doubt in Makoto’s mind that Haru would say yes. He knew that they were still young, and Haru might want to wait until after he was finished with his career, but Makoto could wait. He simply wanted Haru to know what his intentions were.

And maybe a small part of him wanted to stake a claim on his boyfriend as well, so that when he was off touring the world for his swimming competitions everyone would know that he belonged to Makoto. He chuckled softly at the thought of all the disappointed fan-girls. It was selfish, perhaps, but when it came to Haru, Makoto let himself be somewhat selfish.

“Rei? Nagisa?” he called as he stepped into the apartment.

He noticed with appreciation the white tablecloth that covered the table, and the candles that had been placed strategically around the room, which he knew would set the atmosphere perfectly. There were paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling as well, and origami roses were scattered about the floor. However, Rei and Nagisa were nowhere to be seen.

“Rei? Nagisa? Are you here?”

Perplexed, Makoto made his way into the kitchen to set down his groceries, going about taking them out of their bags in order to prepare the meal.

“Mako-chaaaan!”

A distressed Nagisa ran into the kitchen, an equally perturbed Rei behind him. Nagisa wailed and threw himself at Makoto, wrapping his arms around his waist and burying his face in the taller man’s chest.

“I’M SO SORRY, MAKO-CHAN, I ONLY THOUGHT IT WOULD BE CUTE AND THEN SHE RAN OFF AND WE CAN’T FIND HER ANYWHERE AND REI LEFT THE WINDOW OPEN AND—”

“Huh? What are you talking about?” Makoto asked, confused. He gently pushed Nagisa away, looking down into his tear-stained face. “What happened?”

He looked up at Rei for an explanation. Rei couldn’t meet his gaze, looking off to the side instead.

“Nagisa-kun had the idea to tie the ring onto Miki’s collar—”

“Oh, no.” Makoto paled, his fingers gripping Nagisa’s shoulders. Already he knew where this was going, and his stomach began to twist into anxious knots.

“I thought it would be cute if, when you were ready, she came in with the ring,” Nagisa explained, sniffling. “But she got scared when Rei dropped a lantern and ran away. AND NOW WE CAN’T FIND HER!”

“Okay, okay,” Makoto said quickly, trying not to panic. “She can’t have gone far. I’ll just, um, I’ll call Sousuke and have him make the meal, while the three of us go looking for her.”

“I’m so sorry, Mako-chaaaaan!” Nagisa’s eyes welled up again, but Makoto quickly shook his head.

“It’s okay. You were just trying to do a nice thing for me, and I’m very grateful.” He attempted a smile, though it felt strained.

“We’ll begin searching in a grid,” Rei said, adjusting his glasses. “Let me get a pen and paper!” He rushed from the room, Nagisa following him, asking if he could help draw the grid.

Makoto quickly got out his phone to call Sousuke.

“Makoto? Strange that you’d be calling me.”

“I know you’re probably busy, but I could use some help if you have the time. I’m proposing to Haru tonight—”

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you. But something, um, happened, and I need to leave the apartment and I haven’t made dinner yet and Haru is supposed to be home in a couple hours and I was wondering if you could come cook for us?”

“You want me to cook your proposal dinner?” Sousuke sounded surprised, gratitude lacing his tone.

“It would be an amazing help. Anyway, you’re a very excellent cook,” Makoto replied, trying his best to keep his desperation out of his voice.

Sousuke chuckled. “You flatter me. Don’t worry. I’m actually in town, so I can be there in a few minutes.”

“Thank you so much!” Makoto said, relieved. He gave Sousuke the apartment number, letting him know that the door would be unlocked.

As he ended the call, Nagisa and Rei came running back into the kitchen.

“We have a plan!” Nagisa declared, his red-rimmed eyes the only indication that he’d been crying before. “It involves Momo-chan, so we have to go find him right away!”

“Momo-chan?” Makoto repeated blankly, glancing once more to Rei.

“He’s rather skilled at finding and capturing stag beetles,” Rei explained. “We thought he would be our best option on locating Miki.”

“Good idea,” Makoto agreed. “Let’s go.”

“I already texted him to meet us at the corner,” Nagisa said, as the three of them exited the apartment.

“Miki! Here, Miki!” Makoto called beseechingly, just in case she was directly outside. But no answering meow sounded, and no cat appeared. Makoto glanced at his watch. “We have two hours and thirty-two minutes before Haru gets home. We have to find her before then!”

“Don’t worry, Mako-chan,” Nagisa said, petting his arm. “We’ll find her!”

Both Momotarou and Nitori were waiting for them at the street corner. Nagisa grinned, rushing forward to greet them with enthusiastic hugs. 

“Aii-chan! What are you doing here?” he asked once greetings had been exchanged.

“I heard from Momo about the dilemma, and thought I might be able to help,” Nitori explained with a small smile.

“We can use all the help we can get,” Makoto said with a grateful smile.

“Here are your maps of the areas you will cover,” Rei said, passing them out among the group. “As you can see, I have someone starting at each point of north, south, east, and west. From there we will fan out and search for Miki. We should synchronize our watches and keep our phones on at all times. If someone spots Miki, you should not engage until you call for backup and the rest of us arrive. Any questions?”

“Whoa, Rei-chan, that was really good! Like a police detective or something!” Nagisa said wondrously.

Rei flushed, adjusting his glasses. “It’s a simple enough procedure.”

“There’s five of us, and only four directions,” Nitori pointed out, looking over his map. “Is one of us going to double up with someone else?”

“I’m going with Rei-chan!” Nagisa declared, grabbing Rei’s arm.

“That’s fine,” Makoto said quickly. “We have to get going.”

“Right! Onward!” Rei declared, heading off toward the east with Nagisa beside him.

“I’ve got the south!” Momo said, looking at his map. “Ooh! This takes me right by the ice cream stand!” 

“Momo, please don’t get sidetracked,” Nitori said firmly. “We have to find Miki for Makoto-senpai.”

“Awwww.”

Makoto bit his lip. “Maybe the two of you should go together,” he said, thinking Nitori’s presence could possibly keep Momo from getting distracted.

“But that leaves you with two areas to cover,” Nitori pointed out worriedly.

“I’ll be fine,” Makoto replied quickly, taking the map from the shorter young man. “You two go on.”

Nitori nodded, determination written on his features. He grabbed Momo’s sleeve, pulling him down the street. As Makoto turned to head north, his phone buzzed. He saw that it was Sousuke and quickly answered it.

“Hey, I’m at the apartment,” Sousuke said. “Did you want me to cook _all_ this mackerel?”

“Yes, yes,” Makoto said quickly. “That and some green curry. But if you only have time for the mackerel, that’s okay.”

“If you say so . . .”

Makoto said his goodbyes and closed the phone, hurrying down the road then, calling for Miki.

 

***

 

“Ice cream, ice cream, iiiiiiice creeeeeeam,” Momo chanted, swinging his arms as he walked, not seeming to make much of an effort to search for the cat.

“Momo-kun, please pay attention,” Nitori begged. “We’re supposed to be helping Makoto-senpai. We can get some ice cream afterwards.”

“But Ai-kun, we don’t even know what the cat looks like,” Momo pointed out.

Nitori stopped abruptly, his eyes widening. “Oh, no! You’re right! How are we supposed to find her, when we don’t even know what she looks like?! We’ll never be able to find her, and Makoto-senpai will be so upset!”

Momo grinned. “Well, Nagisa-senpai said that he tied the ring to the collar, so we should be looking for a cat that is about to propose! Maybe that’s why she ran off. She has a cat-boyfriend.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Nitori said, shaking his head. “Hm, but she _could_ have joined another group of cats. Do you know where a lot of cats hang out? At the park maybe?”

“Oh yeah!” Momo said excitedly. “And there’s ice cream at the park too!”

“. . . Right. So we should head there.” Nitori nodded, grabbing Momo’s sleeve again to pull him in the direction of the park.

 

***

 

“Nagisa-kun, it’s very important that we concentrate,” Rei pleaded with his boyfriend, trying his best to ignore the fact that Nagisa’s hand was in his back pocket, as they walked.

“I _am_ concentrating,” Nagisa protested.

“I mean on finding Miki.” Rei swallowed, trying to ignore the way Nagisa’s fingers were wiggling against his backside.

“I know what you mean, Rei-chan,” Nagisa said with a laugh. “But just looking is boring. We should play a game. Hmm. I know one! If you step on a crack, you have to kiss the person next to you!”

“That’s not a real game.”

“Yes, it is! I just made it up!”

“Well, it doesn’t seem like it’d work very well, seeing as the only person next to me is you, and the only person next to you is me.”

Nagisa grinned. “That’s the whole point, Rei-chan.”

“Oh. Right.” Rei blushed, realizing that he should have guessed that.

“Miki!” Nagisa exclaimed suddenly, pointing towards a tree.

They both raced forward eagerly, but the cat in the tree didn’t have a collar and looked nothing like Makoto’s beloved Miki. Rei sighed, as the two of them stepped back onto the sidewalk.

“We probably shouldn’t have expected it to be that easy,” Rei admitted.

“Rei-chaaaan,” Nagisa sang softly with a devious smile. “You’re standing on a crack.”

Rei looked down, noticing that he was, indeed, currently positioned above a break in the sidewalk. Nagisa grabbed his vest, pulling his torso forward so Rei’s face was close to Nagisa’s.

“Now you have to kiss me, Rei-chan,” he said softly, grinning still.

Rei swallowed hard, another flush creeping up his neck. Still, he closed the gap between them, kissing Nagisa gently. The smaller young man responded with fervor, wrapping his arms around Rei’s neck and raising on his toes some. When they finally broke apart, Rei felt dizzy. 

“Um, um, cat,” he stammered.

Nagisa gave a long-suffering sigh. “You love the cat more than me, Rei-chan?” he asked petulantly.

“N-no! Of course not,” Rei insisted, knowing Nagisa was teasing him, but unable to stop himself from getting flustered.

“How much do you love me then?” Nagisa asked, grabbing his hand and swinging it gently.

“I love you very much,” Rei admitted.

“More than Chemistry?”

“Yes, more than Chemistry.”

“More than reading?”

“Yes, that too.”

“More than running?”

“Nagisa-kun.”

“More than sushi?”

“Nagisa-kun, we have to keep looking for Miki.”

“Do you love me more than swimming?” Nagisa asked, unrelenting.

Rei sighed. “I love you more than anything else in the entire world,” he said. “Is that a good enough answer?”

Nagisa grinned happily. “That’s the best answer of all! You’re so smart, Rei-chan.”

“Come on,” Rei said, gripping Nagisa’s hand pulling him down the sidewalk. “If you concentrate on finding Miki from now on, I promise that I’ll _show_ you just how much I love you when we get home.”

Nagisa skipped beside him. “That’s an even better answer than before!” he exclaimed.

With a slight shake of his head, but a fond smile on his lips, Rei turned his attention back to the search.

 

***

 

Haruka’s training ended early, so he decided to go home and surprise Makoto, bringing with him a stuffed goldfish that he’d seen in a shop window and decided to purchase. He knew he probably looked somewhat silly, being twenty-one years old and carrying a stuffed animal, but he didn’t really care. He was busy imagining the smile Makoto would give him, that special smile that he only gave to Haruka.

The door to the apartment was unlocked, which surprised him. Stifling his worry as best he could, he stepped into the apartment.

“Mako—” He stopped short, staring at the decorations in the living room. Although the candles were unlit, it was a rather romantic scene, and it was just like Makoto to put together something like this for no reason at all.

He could hear movement in the kitchen, and he smiled faintly, taking off his shoes at the door and following the sound.

The smile instantly died when he entered the kitchen and came face-to-face with Sousuke Yamazaki. He held a spatula with one hand, and behind him, sizzling on the stove, was some mackerel. Haruka blinked, wondering what in the world his least favorite person in the universe was doing in his kitchen. (On second thought, Yamazaki was only his _second_ least favorite person. That first place was reserved for a certain pink-haired young man.)

Because of his shock, however, all that came out of Haruka was a simple, “You’re wearing my apron.”

Yamazaki glanced down at the apron around him, before he looked back up at Haruka. “You’re not supposed to be here,” he said with a faint frown.

Haruka matched his expression. “I live here.”

Yamazaki looked frustrated now. “That’s not what I meant. Look, your boyfriend planned this whole evening for you, but it’s not ready yet. You weren’t supposed to be here until seven.”

Haruka blinked. So Makoto had asked Yamazaki to fix their meal for them? Why? Then he vaguely remembered Rin mentioning something about Sousuke attending culinary school, but, honestly, he tuned out whenever the young man’s name was mentioned.

“Where’s Makoto?” he asked finally, deciding not to get hung up on the details. Makoto would explain.

“He, uh, he’s not here.”

“I can see that. Where is he?”

“Out. Getting, uh, something for the dinner.” Yamazaki appeared flustered. It wasn’t a good look on him. “Can you just . . . leave and then come back at seven?”

Haruka narrowed his eyes slightly. He could tell the guy was hiding something, but he had no idea how to read him. Before he could argue that Yamazaki couldn’t kick him out of his own home, he felt something rub against his leg. Looking down, he saw Miki, Makoto’s cat. She mewed softly, and Haruka noticed the bow attached to her collar. He picked her up, his eyes widening, as he saw the ring attached to the bow. Before he could look at it closer, Yamazaki snatched the cat from his arms.

“Dammit, Nanase,” he growled. “Get out of here before you ruin everything!”

Dazed, Haruka turned away without another word. He walked out of the kitchen and then the apartment, heading for the bay and completely forgetting his shoes.

 

***

 

Time was moving quickly, and Makoto began to worry that he wasn’t going to find Miki in time. Haru was supposed to be home in less than an hour, and so far there was no sign of the cat. He’d jogged for fifteen minutes to the north, before doubling back to head west. It was wasting time, but there was no other way.

He’d gone west for about ten minutes, when a familiar figure ran up to him, waving.

“Makoto! Hey, Makoto!”

Biting back a sigh, Makoto slowed to a stop. “Hey, Kisumi,” he said, giving the other young man a friendly smile. “How are you?”

“I’m doing well! Especially now, seeing you.”

The other young man grinned, and Makoto told himself that he was just being friendly. That’s what he always told Haru, whenever his boyfriend complained about their old friend from middle school. Kisumi was a sociable person. Still, Makoto didn’t have time to catch up, and he began walking again.

“I’m sorry I can’t stay and talk,” he said. “But I’ve lost my cat, and it’s very important that I find her.”

“I can help you look!” Kisumi offered, following. “I’m not really doing anything today anyway. And I’m very good at finding things.”

“Oh, um, thank you.” Makoto was sure Haru wouldn’t want him hanging out with Kisumi, but this was becoming an emergency. Surely Haru wouldn’t mind in this particular case.

“What does she look like?” Kisumi asked curiously, falling into step beside Makoto.

“I have a picture on my phone.” Makoto held out the phone to show Kisumi the photo he’d taken of Haru studying on the couch, Miki curled up on his lap. He couldn’t read Kisumi’s expression as he looked at the photo, but then the young man smiled.

“So you’re still with Haruka? It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“Oh, I suppose so,” Makoto said, pocketing his phone again.

Kisumi chuckled. “You two have always been inseparable, huh? It’s unlikely that anything could break your bond.”

Makoto nodded, not sure why Kisumi was bringing that up.

“I’ll admit, I tried,” he said after a moment, which startled Makoto so much he came to a complete stop, staring at his old friend.

 “You . . . tried?” he repeated, not sure if he’d understood correctly.

 Kisumi looked back at him steadily. “I had a rather big crush on you, Makoto,” he admitted. “But I couldn’t get you away from Haruka long enough to let you know.” He laughed sheepishly then, rubbing the back of his neck. “I did my best, but it just wasn’t meant to be, I suppose.”

Makoto bit his lip. “I’m sorry, Kisumi,” he said genuinely. “I had no idea.” _Haru had been right?_

Kisumi waved him off. “Don’t mind,” he said good-naturedly. “It’s in the past, right? I’m just glad you’re happy.”

“I am,” Makoto said, still feeling bad, however. He was about to ask if Kisumi was happy himself, but his phone buzzed before he could. Quickly, he got it out and answered it.

It was Sousuke.

“We have a situation,” he said seriously. “Nanase came home early, and he found the cat.”

“What?!”

This could not be happening. All of his best-laid plans . . .

“I don’t think he saw the ring, and I made him leave, but just in case you’d better get back here as fast as you can.”

“Right. I’ll be right there,” Makoto said hurriedly, hanging up without bothering with goodbyes, despite the slight twinge the rude gesture created briefly in his chest.

“I’m so sorry, Kisumi, but I have to go,” Makoto said apologetically.

“Did someone find your cat?” Kisumi asked hopefully.

“Yeah, they did, and I should go make sure she’s okay.”

“Of course,” Kisumi said with an understanding nod. “I suppose I’ll have to find you later.” He held out his hand.

Makoto took it, shaking it firmly. “I look forward to it,” he said genuinely, still thinking of Kisumi as a friend, despite his confession.

Before he could turn away, however, Kisumi tightened his grip on his hand. He jerked Makoto forward, kissing him firmly. For a moment, Makoto stood still, stunned, but then he leaped away with a frantic expression.

“K-Kisumi?!”

The young man laughed. “I’ve always wanted to do that,” he said, winking and sticking out his tongue slightly. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to pursue you or anything. Consider my fantasy fulfilled.” He stepped back then with a slight wave. “Take care, Makoto.”

Makoto could only stare in shock, as his friend turned and sauntered off. Shaking his head to clear it, he turned then and sprinted home.

 

***

 

Sousuke was finishing up in the kitchen, as Makoto burst into the apartment.

“Where is she?!” he called before he even saw the cook.

“Relax, she’s in the bedroom,” Sousuke said, stepping over to him. He held out his hand, the ring in his palm. “I took this off her after Nanase left. I honestly don’t get what you see in that guy. He’s rude as hell.”

Makoto ignored his words, practically melting with relief, as he took the ring and clutched it in his palm. “Did you see where he went?”

Sousuke shook his head. “But I’m guessing you already know,” he said then pointedly.

Makoto forced himself to stop and think, his brain working quickly. Then he realized that there could only be one place Haru that would go after undoubtedly growing upset at Sousuke kicking him out of his own home. Turning, he hurried back out the door and made his way toward the beach.

It didn’t take Makoto long to find him. He was sitting in the surf, away from the crowd. His clothes were in a bunch further up the beach, and Makoto knew that he’d still be wearing his swimsuit.

He couldn’t stop the small smile from appearing, as he walked over to the lone figure. He took his phone out of his pocket and tossed it on the pile of clothes. Then, disregarding the fact that he’d get his clothes wet, Makoto sat beside Haru. As he did, Makoto noticed the stuffed goldfish he was holding against his chest. This sight caused him to smile further. He reached over to pet it gently.

“He’s cute,” he offered.

“He’s for you.” Haru handed over the goldfish, not looking at him.

Makoto’s smile faded, even as he took the goldfish. “Haru, I know you’re upset about Sousuke, but I didn’t have a choice. I had to call him over. It was the only way . . .” He trailed off, not sure how to explain himself without revealing his entire plan.

“I’m not upset,” Haru said softly, shaking his head. He paused then, tilting his head. “Well, maybe a little. But only because I don’t like seeing Yamazaki’s face.”

Makoto chuckled softly, knowing better than to mention what had happened with Kisumi. Besides, it didn’t matter. Makoto hadn’t wanted or asked for it, and he hadn’t kissed him back. He didn’t want to. He’d never wanted to. Haru was the only person Makoto had ever wanted to kiss.

“Haru . . . can you look at me, please?” Makoto waited until Haru turned his face toward him. He reached out then and gently touched the side of it, stroking his thumb across the faint flush on Haru’s cheekbone. “Today was an absolute disaster,” he admitted. “But it was all because I wanted it to be the best day of our lives.”

Suddenly, Makoto realized something. Sitting in the water with Haru, the sun beginning to set on the horizon: it was a better setting than the one he’d been planning. It was perfect. Haru was watching him quietly, appearing to be waiting for something.

Fumbling slightly, Makoto shifted the goldfish to his other arm, reaching into his pocket to pull out the ring. Swallowing hard, he looked up at Haru. He looked back calmly, but Makoto still found himself stuttering over the words.

“I-I know we’re still really young, and I completely understand if you want to wait until you’re finished with your swimming career, but . . . Haru . . . I-I can’t imagine living the rest of my life with anyone else but you. You’ve been by my side since middle school and we-we’ve been through a lot together. It hasn’t always been the best of times, but it hasn’t ever been the worst, because nothing is truly bad when I’m with you. Life is . . . life is better. I feel . . . I feel complete. Happy. Like everything is okay, even if I’m scared or-or things aren’t going great in my life.”

He inhaled sharply, realizing that he was rambling now. But Haru didn’t seem to mind. He was still watching him patiently, the flush on his cheeks darkening.

“What I’m trying to say is,” Makoto said finally, gathering his courage. He lifted his hand, opening his fist to reveal the ring. Around the band on the inside were tiny characters that read: _forever swim free as one_.

Haru’s throat constricted, and Makoto thought he saw tears starting to gather in his eyes. Quickly, he leaned forward and kissed the edges of them lightly, lips brushing against eyelashes, as he caught the tears before they could fall.

“Will you marry me, Haru-chan?” he asked softly, before remembering how Haru didn’t like to be called “-chan.” He bit his lip, not sure if he should apologize and rephrase.

He didn’t have time, however, because Haru was throwing his arms around his neck and kissing him fiercely. Surprised by such an enthusiastic response, Makoto fell back against the wet sand. The goldfish was squished between them, but Makoto managed to get one arm around Haru, as he kissed him back deeply.

When Haru leaned back, Makoto grinned faintly. “Is that a yes, then?” he asked hopefully.

“That’s a stupid question,” Haru told him, before kissing him again.

Makoto couldn’t stop his own tears from surfacing, and a few escaped down his cheeks. He sat up, settling Haru on his lap, the goldfish still nestled between them, before taking his hand and placing the ring on his palm. “I know it’s more of an American custom,” he said softly, as he did. “But I wanted to give you a symbol of my devotion to you, and how no matter where you swim free, I’ll be there with you. In mind and soul, if not always in body. I hope you don’t mind.”

Haru curled his fingers around the ring, gripping it tightly. “I don’t mind,” he said, and his voice broke slightly. He shook his head, embarrassed, and Makoto couldn’t help but kiss him again lovingly.

It was only after a few more minutes had passed that Makoto remembered something.

“Rei! Nagisa!” he exclaimed, causing Haru to frown in confusion.

“Huh?”

“I completely forgot. I asked them to help me find Miki. She disappeared, and she had the ring, so we all left to search for her, and that’s why Sousuke had to cook dinner, and I even got Momo and Nitori to help because of the stag beetles, and—are you laughing?”

Surprisingly, Haru was. Makoto couldn’t help but laugh as well then, realizing that the whole situation had been rather ridiculous. Resting his forehead against Haru’s, he laughed together with him until it faded to contented silence. They sat there for a moment, until Haru shook his head and moved to stand, helping Makoto to his feet. Makoto clutched the goldfish in his arm as he stood, not wanting to drop it and lose it to the waves.

“I love the goldfish,” he told Haru.

Haru bit his lip. “It’s stupid.”

“It’s from you, so it’s not stupid,” Makoto insisted, leaning down to kiss Haru’s cheek.

Once they reached Haru’s clothes, he got dressed and Makoto sent a mass-text to Rei, Nagisa, Momo, and Nitori, informing them that Miki had been found and everything was okay and inviting Momo and Nitori to the party. After that was done, he turned to Haru, holding out his hand.

“Ready to go home, Haru?” he asked.

Haru took his hand, lacing his fingers through his. He nodded then, once, and together they walked back toward a bright new future.

**Author's Note:**

> To be honest, Rei and Nagisa probably ended up making out every fifty feet or something, haha; and poor Momo and Nitori probably ended up chasing over a dozen cats trying to find the right one. I thought about writing some more about them (and adding some Sourin too), but I liked this ending, so I kept it. XD


End file.
